Well. If you didn’t care who won, that was great football. If you view defense as optional, a minor subplot or even a nuisance, that was a fun game, an autumn afternoon properly sportsly spent. And if you enjoy seeing things decided on the last play, boy did we have a show for you.
Somehow I don’t feel like those categories encompass a lot of Seattle Seahawks fans; not today.
Last time the Seahawks hosted anyone, they produced a game only their own fans and mothers could love, a thrashing of the New
Orleans Saints so complete it was over by half. Not so against the foe du jour, the pesky Tampa Bay Baker Mayfields Buccaneers. One excessively eventful 38-35 loss later, Seattle had fallen to 4-8 in its last dozen games at Lumen. You can bet that ignominy will be loomin’ again when they return from a trip to Jacksonville.
(Sidenote: “bet” is a figure of speech. Wager all you want on pro football, I’m not your mom, but never, ever bet on the Seahawks, or against them, or in their general vicinity, ever. Are you new?)
How about right out of the gate, we get one thing straight: the Seahawks didn’t lose because of Sam Darnold’s interception, or Mike Macdonald’s blitzing decisions, or wearing the throwbacks, or bad calls, or bad luck. If anything, they lost more because of Jalen Milroe than Darnold! Wasted a drive when they were looking unstoppable on offense otherwise! Didn’t even lose just because the Buccaneers, after a well-publicized weekslong struggle with special teams, made all their kicks and pinned the Seahawks on the one with their only meaningful punt of the day.
Seattle lost primarily because of three third-down meltdowns, which are all interrelated. Here’s the middle one. It’s 3rd and 15. As long as you don’t allow a TD you’ll escape with another FG hold on defense.
One drive earlier, with 14 yards to the sticks, Baker Mayfield had found Cade Otton for 17 en route to one of their many scores. One drive later, it was Emeka Egbuka racing down the middle of the field for 57 yards, flipping the field on 3rd and 13. It’s a very, very different game down the stretch if the Seahawks allow 10 or 14 points on those possessions instead of 21.
But why did they pick today to allow three low-percentage plays to sink them? The easy answer is injuries. Without Julian Love and Devon Witherspoon to start with, then without Tariq Woolen, the secondary experienced a triple sinkhole of leadership, playmaking and experience. That had to matter, right? Sure. Still, the more accurate answer is a combination of depleted manpower, poor pash rush, and Mayfield having a career day.
Mayfield became the first quarterback in league history to throw for 375+ yards while recording fewer than five incompletions. The first. He was perfect, and he needed to be, so he was. Every offensive Seahawk was less than perfect, turning in merely good or excellent days at the office, and there’s your difference. On a day Seattle picks Mayfield once or strip-sacks him, it’s a home win. On a day Darnold actually throws his final forsaken pass into the turf instead of off a helmet, it’s a home win, in regulation or overtime. On a day the Seahawks have one more healthy starting corners, I’m confident calling a home win then too. On a day Jason Myers makes all his kicks, I like our chances. Home win again.
Games in the NFL are won at the margins, on chunk plays in the second quarter, special teams, missed coverages, no-calls and kicks. And chiefly, on turnovers. Which… eh, the Seahawks pooped two away and came up empty on the creation end. All I’m saying is, if you’re looking for someone to blame, you’re gonna need a bigger boat list.
And, damn, it is really too bad that blame needs assigned, because key elements of the next contending Seahawks squad showed up today. They belonged, asserted themselves, and continued their ascent. I’m of course talking about A.J. Barner scoring twice and Tory Horton finding the end zone YET AGAIN. I’m daydreaming as we speak of Nick Emmanwori’s tackles for loss and generally menacing presence patrolling the line of scrimmage. I’m most excitedly remembering how the interior offensive line gave Darnold plenty of time for a change, and how the entire line allowed no sacks and a grand total of two QB hits.
I’m vividly recollecting the handsome lane they created for Zach Charbonnet on the Seahawks’ second touchdown, which on any other day counts as the go-ahead score.
Against the wall of needing to score on virtually every possession, Darnold was steady and spectacular. He showed everyone why the Jets, Panthers, Niners, Vikings and now Seahawks have given him a chance to be The Guy. Because today he was good enough to win any game, against any opponent, any time of year, and that includes January. By my count we saw only three truly ill-advised passes, wrapped in a dangerous wishful thinking he’ll have to shed. The worst was during that magical 99-yard drive, after Riley Dixon had pinned Seattle deep — our guy got away with a bounce through the defender’s hands at the goal line. Earlier, as the first half was winding down quickly, he wound up late by a quarter-second on a quick-out to Tory Horton past the pylon. Narrowly avoided conceding a pick-six. The third throw, we all know which one that is, because it took an unkind hop off a helmet and landed in Lavonte David’s ancient arms, to the delight of exactly nobody except what sounded like 10,000 visiting fans on the broadcast. Hey what’s up with that?
Anyway, each time, Darnold’s error was the same: trying to will the ball through a defender. The defender, predictably enough, is not quite so willing. Sam’s going to get burned playing with that stove.
There’s no logistically sound path to fully recapping 73 points, so for expediency we skip ahead to the first half’s two minute warning. (“Previously on Hawks-Bucs: the visitors raced out to a 13-0 lead that could’ve been bigger.”)
Instead of accepting their apparent fate of goose eggs at half, the Seahawks went to work with a giant Dareke Young return to the 46. An incompletion and a Charbonnet so-so four-yard carry brought up 3rd and 6 at midfield, and you know what? The play was on time out of the huddle, the protection held up, the pass wasn’t late out of the pocket, the route went to the sticks, the receiver fell forward, the drive proceeded.
What’s the big deal? Third and medium conversion. Standard execution by competent offense when needed. Teams do that every weekend. Yes, but. Without a reliable run game, you’re stuck in third and medium all the time, needing the best quick passing attack since Mike Holmgren was running the show up here. And here’s the massive catch: a quick passing attack will only work if you have an accurate QB who can escape the pocket not too soon but not too late, find his tight ends in space, identify the veteran possession receiver on third down, take precise deep shots to WR1, and distribute the ball to the fourth option when everything else is covered, with pass protection enough of the time.
Sounds like a lot, put that way. But if it sounds exactly what what the Seahawks have conjured up at various times this season, that’s because it f-cking is, right to an F. If it sounds an awful lot like Darnold’s game against TB, yeah, that’s the point. Eureka! You have found it. Drink unless it’s 8:15 a.m.
So it’s 13-7. Hope is restored, Obi-Wan can go back into exile or whatever it is he does on Tatooine. With the game saved, all was set up for the Hawks to go to work for the final two quarters and pull it out. Their adjustments were clear: break off their toxic relationship with yellow flags, start tackling pirates again, and continue slicing through the human-shaped oranges in front of them. And if possible, run forward some of the time.
They accomplished all four. They even scored on the first drive out of half, completing their 14-point double-dip on a nifty four-play escapade. Short toss to Barner, Young’s sideline snag, a Kenneth Walker 31-yard firecracker, and the aforementioned Charbonnet touchdown. Boom, explosives and red zone runs. They are making it look very easy some of the time. Converting Darnold and Kubiak doubters by the minute. It’s kinda nice to be wrong sometimes.
However, sadface: although the Seahawks accomplished all four goals, it still wasn’t enough. Because of the third downs. And the turnovers. And Mayfield picking on a depleted defense late in the fourth, to score in five plays and tie it at 35 without facing so much as a third down. (Not that those were going well anyway.)
A blow-by-blow of the doomed final drive is easy, and dispiriting, so before Predator and Prey, please allow me the indulgence of dwelling on the inspirational, on what could have been the signature moment of the day — the scrumptious 99-yard tie-breaking march down the field as time grew short. Not gonna lie, that drive will tantalize me for weeks, because of what is now possible out of this team at any time.
Getting out of the shadow of your end zone is such a cliche, but that’s what Charbonnet gave you on first down with a mundane two-yard plunge. You can run a lot more interesting plays from your 3 than your 1.
In another universe, Darnold’s next pass bounces in the air for six more points to Tampa, and the rest of the game is academic. We’re bemoaning his role on a day the defense needed a pick-me-up. But in our universe, the pigskin caroms right to Kupp, who then tarantulates along the sideline, to the marker. First down.
Cooper Kupp is no longer the same dude who won Super Bowl MVP with the [redacted gang of evildoers]. He’s older, slower, and one injury from forced retirement. He’s also a valuable kogg in this particular offense. Things work for the Seahawks when playmaking is outsourced to the new generation and Coop can hang out in the familiar soft spots of the zone, and just do stuff.
Somehow, the Seahawks found themselves past midfield just two plays later. (“They might score too soon!” I joked to my watching partner. Joked.) K9 for 22, JSN for 22 more, roughing the passer, and with a suddenness this offense is stupendous at, they were in scoring range already.
Now I don’t want to make too much of a single eight-yard gain on a day we saw almost 900 yards of total offense, but setting up 2nd and 2 instead of 2nd and 8 is massive. Because then, two fruitless plays later, you’re not in 4th and 8. And you can go for it. And your QB can step away from one sack, out of another, scoot out of harm’s way for an instant, and lob it to your electrifying rookie.
Could go on without breaking a sweat. But nobody wants Tolstoy after a loss. None of the promising developments — and they are promising, ‘cause now we know the Seahawks will win games with their offense and because of their offense — matter in immediate terms, such as keeping pace with the 49ers. Sucks that 4-1 and a continuing share of first place was within reach, until it abruptly wasn’t. Let’s name a few Predators, a couple regrettable Preys, and get out of here.
PREDATOR
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is everything the prophecy foretold, the oracle foreknew, the seer saw. I don’t think there’s a flaw in his game, and I include blocking in that. You saw him downfield on Walker’s explosives, which is not this clip:
Klint Kubiak crafted and called a hell of a game. When the pass was working he let Sam make quick decisions behind good protection and smartly designed outlets. When the run was working (19 rushes for 121 yards once you remove the Milroe debacle) he stuck with it, and that little shovel pass to Walker should’ve slayed. In my opinion Kubiak already has a great feel for the strengths and limitations of his players and isn’t one to force something that isn’t there, while leaving deep shots up to the discretion of his best tandem. I said this in September already but we get to watch an actual modern offense now, something unseen since Darrell Bevell’s astute early adoption of read zone.
Sending in the extra lineman on 3rd and goal from the two, knowing you need a touchdown, and scheming Barner this wide open —
— now that’s something a Seahawks fan could get used to.
Sam Darnold. Four teeders and one pick, with mobility and improvisation thrown in at exactly the right moment, is top-tier quarterback play, the currency of choice for customers interested in purchasing NFL wins. Elite performance. Full stop.
Dareke Young. Two kickoffs to midfield, nobody cares that one got called back. Being one completion from field goal range right away is game-changing. But mainly plays like this sideline shuffle and smart mid-air box-out on the DB can make him a larger part of the passing attack.
Hell of an adjustment from the player who’s always felt one season away from a starting role but now is actually knocking on the door.
The entire Seattle offensive line, for this play only (they were quite good otherwise too, but this is objectively bully behavior):
This collective effort — a Cross Toss? Zabel Enable? Kupp Kleanupp? — came two plays before Darnold and Horton connected. I’m telling you. That drive may not have produced a win, but it was not a total loss, far from it.
Emeka Egbuka. Doesn’t matter who the Seahawks stuck on him, whoever drew the assignment didn’t, erm, stick. Egbuka’s 7-163-1 on seven targets (of course he caught all seven) tells the story well enough. Go pick on someone your own skill, jeez.
And obviously Baker Mayfield and Rachaad White. We covered Mayfield already and White is featured in the next section, unfortunately.
PREY
Boye Mafe and Uchenna Nwosu. Once Derick Hall went out with that poorly-timed oblique, they each got their name called once apiece, the first for helping out on D’Anthony Bell’s rightful sack and the second for a nifty screen blowup. TB scored on both drives anyway. Needed way more disruption out of them, Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy. Didn’t happen. Mattered.
Coby Bryant and Ty Okada. The way Rachaad White discards Bryant on his first TD run is disrespectful and on the 56-yard completion discussed earlier, there is no safety help over the top for Josh Jobe. Who should be expecting it! It’s 3rd and 17 after all.
Deep breath. To 3-2 it is, and to wasted opportunities compounded by fate. And yet, the Hawks proved they can go places today. If they are to go anywhere interesting or anywhere at all, let us go with them.
